What an awesome read pulled from one of our favorite online sites, Fashionista! “How To Make It In Fashion” Conference (2013) hosted by Fashionista; and one of the many topics discussed was a Do’s + Don’ts session on networking — the pro way! For us, and our fellow fashion industry professionals, it’s always great to know what to do, not to do, and what to expect in this extremely competitive arena of fashionistas. Snippets of each Do & Don’t can be found below. So, keep reading.

DO Network With Your Peers

If reaching out to an editor at your favorite magazine seems daunting (understandably), try asking a fellow intern at the publication out for a drink. “If you are reaching out to like-minded people always remember that they want the same thing.”

DON’T Treat Networking Targets as if They Are Just a Job Title

In an industry with so much competition, it can be hard to look past a position on a masthead. It’s important to keep in mind that these people, like you, have lives outside of the office.

DO Take Advantage of LinkedIn

LinkedIn can be a really helpful tool to build working relationships and contacts, as well as keep up with those you already have. People bounce around a lot in fashion–the website can help you keep track of who has moved to what company.

DON’T Use the Internet to Harass People

“Never tweet someone and ask if they got your email,” Jannuzzi warned. Besides being unprofessional, it puts the person you are attempting to get in contact with in an awkward position.

[Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic]

DO Ask for Informational Interviews

“Ask everyone for coffee. If they’re really busy bring coffee to them. Grab 15 minutes. If you are persistent people aren’t going to want to turn you down. The more you get to know people the more you connect,” Gould-Simon advised.

DO Pick up the Required Reading

Casual conversation with peers or higher-ups can be an ideal time to make an impression. Make sure you stay up-to-date about what’s going on in the fashion industry and outside of it.

DO Try and Find a Mentor

“Having older more seasoned people within the industry to take you under their wing is super important,” Gould-Simon said. It should be someone who has taken an interest in your development and someone you can ask questions to.

DON’T Always Expect a Reply

For every 10 emails you send, you might get one reply. But don’t fret about getting ignored. “Don’t take anything personally,” said Jannuzzi. “If someone doesn’t respond to your email, it does not mean that they looked at your Facebook or they Googled you and thought you were weird.”

DO Over-perform

Working even a little bit harder, will make you more memorable–especially when you’re in a pool of many different interns. You want to be remembered as the one that worked until seven o’clock when all of the others went home at six.

DON’T Get too Comfortable

Work hard, and when you start getting recognized for it, work even harder.